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Warfare among the Uric Peoples
The Uric have a long history of warfare that stretches back to the first southern migrations. Increasingly, the history of Uric tribal warfare has become the history of the military of the Dog Clan nation as it socially and politically unifies, but they are still in many ways one and the same. History Military Organization A Uric army is a tribal one. Each tribe is required to give a certain part of its numbers to the warhost. Both men and women will fight though more men will join then women by about a 3/4 ratio, since the role of a warrior while not male-restricted is male dominated. Uric armies rely on numbers and force to achieve victory. A battle will start with a protracted ranged skirmish, often spreading over a large swathe of land as warriors spar to land shots against one another while slinging obscenities and challenges. After both sides have coalesced, they will march into a close shield-wall scrum to the sound of drums and chanting. The goal is to maintain unity and push the enemy back into a rout, where enemy warriors can be hunted down and slain in single combat. Equipment and Dress Uric warriors supply their own equipment, which leads to a inherent heterogeneity in army appearance. The principle weapons of Uric armies are the spear, club and bow & arrow, all easy to make and use weapons. Melee Weapons Spears Uric spears are made from darkwood trees and are tipped with long broad bronze spearheads. The spearhead is attached by a tang and the spear is only about a mans height in length. Different kinds of spears exist for hunting different animals. Clubs Clubs are the most common Uric melee weapon. They are made of hard woods and polished smooth. Most are shaped with a distinctively long thin handle with a bulging round pointed head. Some are studded with bronze or stone balls or even blades. Axes A axe carried in battle is the same axe carried at home for daily tasks, leading to a utilitarian simple shape. Uric axes are short with wide bronze heads fixed with resin and leather binding. Daggers Purely a last resort weapon, daggers are thick and very short with broad tips for slashing wide wounds. They are extravagantly decorated and fitted into wooden or leather sheaths when not in use. If a warrior loses his main weapon he can quickly pull his dagger from his belt and continue to fight. Swords Swords are rare and expensive, ultimate status symbols. A Uric sword is of similar shape to a Tagka sword, broad, thin with a wide pointed head and a thick rounded hilt. Many chieftains will keep a younger son on the battlefield as a sword-carrier to keep the sword and scabbard on their person until the start of a defined engagement. Halberds Halberds are a very specific weapon that came about with the development and proliferation of body armor. They consist of a long straight wooden shaft with a short bronze head affixed to the side near the top. The other end often carries a round bronze counterweight. It is swung from a distance, usually on the side of a shield-wall towards a armored man with enough force so the blade can puncture the armor. He can then be dragged down and dispatched with a dagger or spear. Projectile Weapons Bow & Arrow The bow is a ancient weapon of war and hunting. Uric bows are simple short-bows made from flexible young wood and bone. The arrows themselves are wood or reed with bone or bronze points. Many arrowheads are not bronze because it can be difficult to acquire enough bronze for a full quiver for any one man. Uric archers carry long flattened quivers with thin wooden slats covered with leather, then fringed and painted. Its slung over the back while they fire, or they will stick some arrows in the ground if firing from a single area for a while. Darts Darts are reserved for during a charge or when pursuing fleeing defeated enemies. They are short tipped sticks with fletching much like shrunken arrows. They are fitted into a sash or tied to a shield then thrown with a quick sharp motion, not enough to kill someone but enough to incapacitate or stun them before a melee attack. Javelins A javelin is basically just a shorter thinner spear designed specifically for throwing. Its common for skirmishers to have 3 - 4 to throw at the start of a engagement before moving in closer with melee weapons. Slings Slings are rarely used in combat. In hunting they are used to hunt small animals or birds but in combat some will use them to aim at exposed heads or limbs. Body Armor For much of Uric history, they did not use body armor to any significant degree. During the increasing violence and centralization of society during the later Formative Period, marked by a large wave of hillfort building, and leading towards the Confederate Period, body armor began to appear as a symbol of status on the battlefield. The simplest forms are leather breastplates, made from thick cured leather bent into a bell-like shape. They are commonly embossed with metal rivets and/or painted to look like idealized physiques. This is the maximal extent of body armor for all but a few, though it is common to wear padding under ones sleeves and trousers to soften any blows to those areas. Metal plates to protect the groin are sometimes worn along with small gorgets. A metal breastplate is a masterwork of technology. Made from bronze, they are passed down a lineage and prized immensely. They are decorated and worn the same way a leather breastplate is worn, with more opulence. Helmets are made either out of wood, leather or bronze. They are either simple rounded shapes like cones or caps, or lower with a central ridge from a crest. They are often adorned with hair knots, small figures, feathers and ribbons. The largest helmets have tall spires with projected metal wires for creating rows of fluttering ribbons and tails that fly in the wind. Shields Uric shields are slightly larger than a mans torso and rectangular with slightly rounded edges. They are made from wood that is steamed and bent, then covered with leather (usually Gada skin). They are extravagantly decorated with figures and abstract designs. Uric warriors carry their shields with two straps, one for the wrist and another for their hand to grasp, this means most carry their shields at a slight angle.